Thanks to camera traps, researchers have taken an unprecedented look at animals in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, a fantastically dense, tangled and vibrant jungle in the heart of equatorial Africa.

The forest is home to half of all remaining mountain gorillas, along with chimpanzees, African elephants, honey badgers, golden cats and a menagerie of creatures. It's one of the most biodiverse ecologies on Earth, and also one of the oldest: When sub-Saharan Africa's climate cooled during the last Ice Age, Bwindi became a refuge. It's remained one ever since.

"It's not a joke that the word 'impenetrable' appears in the official national park name," said Badru Mugerwa, a researcher with the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation.

Not only is the terrain jagged and mountainous, but Bwindi's dominant feature, "superseding even the impressively rich flora of noxious nettles, barbed briars and spiny Acanthus, is its remarkable density," said Mugerwa. "Walking these hills every day, recording what animals we come across, would be very tedious, close to impossible."

For scientists studying Bwindi's animals, motion-activated cameras are a wonderful tool, allowing them to count species, learn about behaviors and identify patterns that would otherwise be hidden by terrain. In August, the African Journal of Ecologypublished the results of a Mugerwa's camera trap survey, the largest ever undertaken in the forest.

"It's amazing how much information these little gadgets can generate," said Mugerwa. On the following pages, he shares his favorite pictures with Wired.

Above:

African Elephant

Mountain Gorilla Silverback

"Gorillas are amazing animals, and it is truly special experience to stand face to face with them," Mugerwa said. "The silverbacks are so huge and full of strength, yet friendly, and have no harm when you keep your distance, and avoid stepping on their toes. On the other hand, these are wild animals, and encountering a wild gorilla individual or group sends a chill down your spine."

Mountain Gorilla Mom and Baby

"A proper approach, not intimidating the individual, will help you go separate ways with no one hurt. They get annoyed and threatened just like humans do," Mugerwa said. "They have feelings too. The babies are particularly cute."

Chimpanzee Mom and Baby

African Palm Civet

"The forest is a home to so many animals that are very shy, elusive and only active at night," said Mugerwa. "This means that recording these animals by just walking can only give you partial results." The African palm civet is largely nocturnal.

Bush Pigs

African Golden Cat

"I have never seen a golden cat in person. Not even the field assistants who have been working in the forest for the past 30 years" have seen one, said Mugerwa. "What's surprising is that we recorded over 600 images of this animal from 15 different locations. This animal is the world's and Africa's second least-known animal. No one has ever documented its behavior. No one understands why it is so more elusive than other cat species."

Continued Mugerwa, "I have a very special feeling for the African golden cat. I dream about this animal. I want to know and understand everything about it."

Also photographed were golden cats with a rare mutation that makes their fur dark (below).

Honey Badger

This is the first known record of a honey badger in Bwindi.

Dusky Bushbaby

L'Hoest's Monkey

Olive Baboons

Servaline Genet

Though its appearance suggests otherwise, genets are not cats, but are related to mongooses.

Side Striped Jackal

Sitatunga

The camera trap photographs of this sitatunga, a swamp-dwelling antelope, are the first records of its existence in Bwindi.

Badru Mugerwa

Mugerwa, here holding a whiteboard in front of a camera trap, joined the Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation five years ago. "I call upon every one who loves nature to join in the conservation struggle of wild creatures and their habitat," he said.

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